Shloka 45
Devanagari script
घटोत्कचो विनिर्भिन्न: सूतपुत्रेण मर्मसु
Transliteration
ghaṭotkaco vinirbhinnaḥ sūtaputreṇa marmasu
Translation
सञ्जय उवाच—घटोत्कचः सूतपुत्रेण मर्मसु विनिर्भिन्नः।
Word by Word
घटोत्कचःGhaṭotkaca
घटोत्कचः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootघटोत्कच
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
विनिर्भिन्नःpierced, torn asunder
विनिर्भिन्नः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootवि-निर्भिद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
सूतपुत्रेणby the charioteer’s son (Karna)
सूतपुत्रेण:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootसूतपुत्र
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular
मर्मसुin the vital parts
मर्मसु:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootमर्मन्
FormNeuter, Locative, Plural
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
G
GhaṭotkacaK
Karṇa (Sūtaputra)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical harshness of battle: prowess often expresses itself as the ability to strike where life is most vulnerable (marmas), reminding the listener that war’s outcomes are driven by lethal effectiveness and fate, not merely by moral claims.
Sañjaya reports that Ghaṭotkaca has been grievously pierced in his vital points by Karṇa (called ‘the charioteer’s son’), indicating a decisive, life-threatening blow in the ongoing Kurukṣetra conflict.